Accessories for corrugated forklift pallet



April 21, 1970 H. s. MANKEY ACCESSORIES FOR CORRUGATED FORKLIFT PALLET 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed May 22. 1967 INVENTOR HARRY S. MANKEY A/ma Irv M ATTORNEY April 21, 1970 H. s. MANKEY 3,507,415

ACCESSORIES FOR CORRUGATED FORKLIFT PALLET Original Filed May 22. 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet Z e6-\ FIG. 8

r-IOOb INVENTOR HARRY S. MANKEY ATTORNEY April 1970 H. s. MANKEY 3,507,415

ACCESSORIES FOR CORRUGATED FORKLIFT PALLET Original Filed May 22, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR HARRY S. MANKEY ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,507,415 ACCESSORIES FOR CORRUGATED FORKLIFT PALLET Harry S. Mankey, Dallas, Tex., assignor to Standard Manufacturing Company, Inc., Dallas Tex., a corporation of Texas Continuation of application Ser. No. 639,945, May 22, 1967. This application Mar. 7, 1969, Ser. No. 824,716 Int. Cl. B66f 9/12 U.S. Cl. 214-621 47 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Nestable chock and support members for adapting a corrugated weapon handling pallet or cradle having a base and transversely outwardly sloping side walls to securely receive various sizes of weapons, such as bombs, rockets, or napalm tanks. One type of chock member connects to a side Wall of a cradle to contact and support various sizes of weapons. Another type of chock or support member has end portions which abut both side walls of a cradle to suspend a middle portion which may support various sizes of weapons. These nestable chock and support members are also used in a system for supporting a single package of weapons in a V-shaped tandem configuration on a pair of spaced cradles which are received on a fork lift vehicle having forks spaced to lift both cradles.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 639,945, filed May 22, 1967, and now abandoned, and relates to accessories for the Nestable, Corrugated Folklift and Sling Pallet disclosed and claimed in Patent No. 3,430,586, granted to William N. Oswald on Mar. 4, 1969.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to accessories connectable to forklift pallets for handling elongated objects, and more particularly to fully nestable chock and support members for adapting a forklift cradle to securely support various sizes of weapons, such as bombs, rockets, napalm tanks or the like.

Logistical support of a modern tactical air force, whether land or sea based, requires the transportation of very large quantities of airborne ordnance from factories located in friendly countries to remote bases of aircraft operations, usually located in a foreign country. This airborne ordnance includes a variety of bombs, rockets, napalm tanks and the like, all of which vary widely in size and weight. Perhaps the most typical weapons are bombs which vary in weight from 250 pounds to 1000 pounds. Such bombs are usually transported in bulk quantities from the factory to a storage depot in a disassembled condition, and are normally stored for a time in this condition. Before use, the disassembled bombs are transported to prestaging areas or to a carrier where they are assembled and loaded on an external, jettisonable bomb rack which is subsequently mounted under the wings or fuselage of the aircraft.

One type of bomb rack, called a TER. can support three weapons, arranged in a triangular configuration with one weapon directly below the rack and one Weapon on each lower side of the rack. The bombs thus mounted can be dropped in sequence from the rack as desired. Another type of rack, called an MER, can support two clusters of three bombs arranged in tandem, or one staggered cluster of three large diameter bombs or napalm tanks. Once loaded, the bomb racks can then be transported to a parked aircraft and the weapon packages loaded onto 3,507,415 Patented Apr. 21, 1970 ICC the aircraft by connecting the rack to the aircraft. Although the use of such bomb racks is advantageous because of the resulting simplicity and speed of aircraft loading, the loaded bomb racks are particularly difficult to handle because of the triangular shape and inherent instability of the cluster of weapons.

In the previously noted copending application entitled Nestable, Corrugated Forklift and Sling Pallet, by William N. Oswald, a lightweight, fully nestable corrugated cradle is disclosed which securely supports weapons during loading by a forklift onto a bomb rack and during subsequent attachment of the bomb rack to the aircraft, also by a forklift. This weapon handling cradle is generally formed from a unitary sheet that is corrugated for strength and which is of a predetermined single size to accommodate the loading of many types of airborne weapons. However, as previously mentioned, many of the airborne weapons utilized today differ widely both in size and in weight, and thus the previously described cradle cannot alone accommodate all sizes and types of weapons now used by tactical aircraft. Further, as the cradle disclosed in the copending application is usually formed from corrugated metal, the cradle cannot alone safely handle extremely thin skinned weapons, such as napalm tanks and the like.

The manufacture of a plurality of different sized weapon cradles constructed in accordance with the previously identified application would eliminate or minimze many of the advantages inherent in the single sized nestable cradles. Further, it would not be feasible to permanently afiix adapting members to the cradles for accommodation of certain bombs, as such members would not allow the cradles to be later nested for storing and shipping. Any adapting members or accessories for enabling the present cradle to securely accommodate a variety of weapons must then be easily attached and removed, and yet must be capable of being rigidly and securely connected to a cradle to prevent vibration or slippage of the weapons being handled. Such accessories should also meet the weight requirements imposed on the lightweight cradles, and should be fully nestable for ease of storage and transportation in bulk.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to accessories for use with a weapons handling cradle having a base and two transversely outwardly sloping side walls. Chock members are connectable to the side walls of the cradle in order to supportingly contact parts of weapons. Resilient pads may be provided on the chock members to cushion the support of weapons. Support members according to the present invention may be abutted against two side Walls of a cradle to suspend a support portion over the cradle base to support large diameter weapons. Each of the chock and support members is easily attached and removed from a cradle, and each of the members is nestble to facilitate storage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention and its many advantages will be further understood by reference to the following detailed description illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a pair of chock members constructed in accordance with the present invention connected to the side walls of a weapon supporting cradle;

FIGURE 2 is an end view of one of the chock members shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view of the structure shown in FIGURE 2 taken generally along section line 33;

FIGURES 4-6 are somewhat schematic end views of weapon handling cradles utilizing difierent combinations of the chock members shown in FIGURE 1 to support bomb packages of different sizes;

FIGURE 7 is a side elevation illustrating a pair of the cradles shown in FIGURE 1 utilizing chock and support members according to the present invention to support three napalm tanks mounted on an MER rack;

FIGURE 8 is a top view of the assembly shown in FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 9 is a somewhat schematic end view of one of the cradles and the associated chock members according to the present invention utilized in the system shown in FIGURES 7 and 8;

FIGURES 10 and 11 are top views taken from different angles of one of the chock members shown in FIGURE 9;

FIGURE 12 is an end view of two of the chock members according to the present invention in a nested position;

FIGURE 13 is a somewhat schematic end view of the second cradle and the associated support member utilized in the system shown in FIGURES 7 and 8;

FIGURE 14 is a perspective view of a section of the support member shown in FIGURE 13;

FIGURES 15 and 16 are somewhat schematic end views illustrating how the support member shown in FIGURE 14 may be utilized to load a napalm tank onto a bomb rack; and

FIGURE 17 is an end view of a pair of the adapter members according to the present invention shown in a nested position.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to like and corresponding parts throughout the several views, FIGURE 1 illustrates a weapon handling cradle designated generally by reference numeral 10 and constructed in accordance with the disclosure of the previously identified copending application, to which reference is made for a more detailed description and better understanding thereof.

As described in detail in the copending application, the cradle 10 is comprised of a unitary sheet of material formed to provide a generally rectangular base portion, indicated generally by the reference numeral 12. A pair of side wall portions indicated generally by the reference numerals 14 and 16 extend transversely outwardly at angles from the opposite longitudinal edges of the base portion 12.

The cradle 10 includes a number of corrugations formed transversely along the longitudinal axis of the cradle and extending through the base portion 12 and into the side portions 14 and 16 to provide strength and structural stability to the cradle, as discussed more fully in the copending application. The corrugations formed in the cradle 10 define provisions or channels 18 and 20 in the bottom of the base portion 12 for receiving the forks of a suitable forklift vehicle (not shown) to allow the cradle to be easily transported and handled.

Shown connected to the upper edges of the side wall portions 14 and 16 in FIGURE 1 is a pair of similar chock members 22a and 22b constructed in accordance with the present invention for adapting the cradle to receive vairous sizes of airborne weapon packages. As best shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, the chock member 22a may be constructed from sheet metal to include a generally rectangular, flat support portion 26 which extends the length of the side portion 14. An upper longitudinal edge 28 integrally extends from the support portion 26 at an angle and is in turn integrally connected to a hook portion 30 having a curved cross section conformed to connect over the arcuate top edges of the side portion 14. A lower longitudinal edge 32 is integrally connected at an angle to the support portion 26 and is integrally extended to form a shoulder portion 34 which is adapted to about with a portion of the side wall 14 to support a weapon load. A resilient pad 36 made from, for example, neoprene may be bonded to the upper surface of the support portion 26 to cushion the weapon being supported. Chock member 22b is similarly constructed and will thus not be described in detail.

Integrally defined in the shoulder portion 34 is an outwardly extending, box-like projection designated generally at 38, and including a back wall 40 sloping outwardly from the support portion 26 at the same angle as the edge 32. The back wall 40 is integrally bent at its lower end to extend as a base 42. End portions 44 and 46 are respectively connected both to the back wall 40 and to the base 42, and abut with portions of the side wall 14 of the cradle 10, as shown in FIGURE 1, n order to prevent longitudinal movement of the chock member 22a relative to cradle 10.

As may best be seen from the cross-sectional view shown in FIGURE 3, the ends 44 and 46 of the projection 38 slope inwardly from their connection with shoulder portion 34 to the connection with base 42. Further, the edge 28 slopes outwardly at an angle, and the edge 32 and back wall 40 are also outwardly sloped. These sloping configurations are necessary so that a plurality of similarly constructed chock members may be stacked in a nested relationship, as such nesting can only be accomplised if each of the surfaces making up the chock member is disposed either substantially horizontally or at an oblique angle to the horizontal. It has been found that an oblique angle of about is a practical angle which may be used to avoid the possibility of wedging two adjacently disposed chock members together when stacked in a nested relationship.

When two chock members constructed in accordance with the present invention are nested, the two box-like projections 38 in the members will interfit in order to prevent substantial transverse or longitudinal movement of the nested chocks. For instance, the back wall 40 will prevent transverse movement of the upper nested chock in one transverse direction, while the upper edge 28 will prevent transverse movement in a second direction. In a similar manner, the ends 44 and 46 of the projection 38 will prevent longitudinal movement in either direction of an upper nested chock member. The provision of the box-like projection 38 thus not only provides stability of the chock when the chock is attached to the side wall of a cradle, but also provides positional stability to a plurality of nested similarly constructed chock members during storage.

FIGURES 2 and 3 clearly show three elongated channel spacer members 48, 50 and 52, which are rigidly transversely mounted on the underside of the support portion 26. These spacer members are adapted to abut against the top support portion of a similarly constructed chock member in order to exactly provide the required height for secure support of a weapon. These spacer members also prevent adjacently disposed chock members from fully nesting to eliminate wedging together of the chock members. When nested, therefore, two chock members constructed in accordance with the present invention produce a total nested height less than twice the height of a single chock.

FIGURES 4-6 are somewhat schematic end views of cradles constructed in accordance with the disclosure of the previously mentioned copending application, and including various combinations of connected chock members according to this invention. While such cradles can solely accommodate several types of weapons or weapon packages, such as a standard cluster of three 750-pound bombs, the chock members according to the present invention are required to adapt the cradles to accommodate many sizes of weapon packages.

FIGURE 4 thus discloses three bombs 54a-54c of a smaller diameter, as for instance 1000-pound bombs, loaded onto the bomb rack 56 and supported by cradle 10 using a single chock member 58. Weapon 54a is securely supported by contact with chock member 58 and weapon 54c is urged against the side wall 16. The lower weapon 54b rests on the base portion 12 of the cradle. A portion of a fork member 60 from a suitable forklift vehicle is shown received in the provision underneath the base portion 12 for handling and transportation of the cradle 10.

FIGURE illustrates a V-shaped cluster of three smaller diameter weapons 62a-62c, typically SOD-pound bombs, mounted on the external bomb rack 64 and supported by cradle 10. The smaller diameter of these weapons requires the use of two chock members 66 and 68 on the side Walls 14 and 16 of cradle in order to securely support the Weapons.

FIGURE 6 illustrates the use of a pair of stacked chock members 70 and 72 connected on the side wall portion 14, and stacked chock members 74 and 76 connected on the side wall portion 16 of the cradle 10, in order to support a cluster of three small diameter weapons 78a- 78c, which may be for instance 250-pound bombs, mounted on rack 79. The spacer members 80 and 82 described with reference to FIGURE 3 abut against the top support portions of the chock members 70 and 76 to provide support to weapons 78a and 78c. It will, of course, be understood that in the assemblies shown in FIGURES 4-6, the box-like projections 38 described in conjunction with FIGURES 1-3 are not shown, but extend from each chock member downwardly to secure the position of the chock member relative to the cradle.

In the specific embodiment disclosed, the present chock members may have primary dimensions of about 31 inches by 10 inches, and may be fabricated from 14 gauge sheet steel. The chock member may be initially a single sheet of material and formed by any conventional means, as by stamping, or may be formed by the welding together of individual components. Of course, the chock member could also be formed from other types of suitable materials such as fiber glass, plastic or the like.

FIGURES 7 and 8 illustrate the use of two weapon handling cradles 86 and 88, constructed in accordance with the previously described copending application, to support three napalm tanks or fire bombs 90a90c mounted in a V-shaped tandem configuration on an MER bomb rack 92. Because of the excessive length of the fire bombs, it is customary to support on cradle 86 the two fire bombs 90a and 90b which are suspended in upper side positions at the rear of the MER bomb rack 92, and on cradle 88 the third fire bomb 900 which is suspended from a front lower position on the rack 92. The two cradles 86 and 88 may then be simultaneously lifted by a pair of forks 94a and 94b connected to the common bar 96, which is in turn supported by the lift table 98 of a forklift vehicle. It will, of course, be understood that the pair of cradles could also be used in the same general manner to handle an MER rack loaded with six shorter weapons of substantially any type.

In order to adapt the weapon handling cradle 86 to securely support the relatively large diameter, thin skinned fire bombs 90a and 90b, a pair of chock members 100a and 1001) constructed in accordance with the present invention are connected to the side walls of the cradle.

The chock members 100a and 100b have cross sections as illustrated in FIGURE 9 and extend substantially the length of the cradle. Chock member 100a and 10% may be constructed from a suitable unitary sheet of material such as 12 gauge aluminum, and may have dimensions in the view shown in FIGURE 11 of about 32 inches by 13 inches. Each of the chock members includes a generally curved support portion 102 shaped to support a similarly curved section of the thin skinned weapon. A resilient neoprene pad 104 is bonded with adhesive or the like to the support surface 102 in order to cushion the support of the thin skinned weapons.

As best seen in FIGURES 10 and 11, hook members 106 and 108 are connected along a longitudinal edge of the support portion 102 and are curved to enable the chock member to be secured to the top edge of the side walls of a cradle. A side portion 110, best shown in FIGURE 10, is connected along one longitudinal edge of the support portion 102 and extends at an oblique angle to the support portion 102. Shoulder or feet members 112a and 112b extend outwardly from the side portion and are adapted to abut the sloping side walls of the cradle 86 to support the chock member. Shoulders 112a and 112b are spaced apart by a cutout portion 113 which is provided in the lower part of side portion 110.

Ends 114a and 114b have a generally triangular configuration and are rigidly connected along one side to the support portion 102 and along another side to the side portion 110. As shown in FIGURE 10, the ends 114a and 114b slope outwardly from the connection between support portion 102 and side portion 110 to facilitate nesting with a similarly constructed chock member. The ends 114a and 11412 include projections 116a and 11611 which are respectively connected to the shoulders 112a and 112b in order to provide rigidity thereto and also to engage a part of the end walls of the cradle (FIGURE 9) in order to hold the chock member longitudinally in position on the cradle.

FIGURE 12 ilustrates how the pair of similarly constructed chock members a and 10% may be nested in order to facilitate storage thereof. Due to the oblique angle at which the support portion 102 and the side portion of each of the chock members are disposed, in addition to the sloping angle of the end portions 114 as previously described, the two chock members constructed in accordance with the present invention may be conveniently and securely nested at a height substantially less than the total height of the two members. The shoulder 112 of chock 100a rests on the corresponding shoulder of chock 10012, and parts of the support portions of each chock will abut to securely nest the chock members.

FIGURE 13 is a somewhat schematic view illustrating the use of a support member to adapt cradle 88 to securely support the fire bomb 90:: in the MER bomb rack 92 shown in FIGURES 7 and 8. Support member 130 comprises a middle portion .132 which is suspended over the base of the cradle '88 due to the abutment of the end flanges 134 and 136 with the sloping side walls of the cradle. When supporting heavy weapon loads, the middle portion 132 may contact the base of cradle 88. The support member 130 may be constructed from aluminum alloy plate or sheet and is of essentially the same length as the base of the cradle 88, the specific embodiment shown having primary dimensions of about 36 inches by 19 inches. A pair of resilient neoprene pads 138 and 140 are permanently bonded by adhesive or the like to the middle portion .132 of the support member and are generally curved to receive a similarly curved lower portion of the fire bomb 900.

As also shown in FIGURE 14, a channel 142 is defined in the middle portion 132 to receive the projecting seam of the fire bomb 90c, in order to prevent damage to the thin skinned bomb during the support thereof. Additionally, a pair of spaced apart channels are formed along the longitudinal edges of the support member 130 by the flanges 134 and 136.

FIGURES 15 and 16 illustrate an additional use of the support member 130 for loading the thin skinned napalm tank or fire bomb .144- onto a bomb rack 146 from a suitable lifting platform 148. The pads 138 and 140 of support member 130 cushions the thin skinned weapon, while the channel formed by flange 134 receives the elongated seam of the weapon to prevent puncture thereof. The loading apparatus 148 includes two pairs of rollers 150 which enable the support member to be rocked about a small arc in order to correctly position the bomb 144 relative to the rack .146. Of course, another thin skinned weapon could be loaded onto the opposite side of the bomb rack 146 by use of a similar support member in accordance with the present invention. FIGURE 16 illustrates how the thin skinned weapon 144 may be loaded directly below the bomb rack 146, with the seam of the weapon being received in the channel 142.

FIGURE 17 illustrates how support members 152 and 154, constructed in accordance with the present invention, may be conveniently nested to facilitate storage thereof. The channel portion 156 of the support member 152 receives the corresponding channel 158 of the support member 154 to provide a nested stack of the two support members which is substantially lower than the total combined height of the two members. The curved configura tion of the support members enables a plurality of the members to be nested without binding or wedging together. I 1

It may thus be seen that the provision of the chock and support members of the present invention enables weapon cradles to be adapted to receive airborne weapons of various shapes and sizes. These adapter members may be quickly installed or removed from a cradle, and are light enough to be easily manually handled. The particular configurations of the present adapter members prevent any slippage relative to the cradle even during rough handling. Further, the present adapters are nestable for ease of storage and bulk transport.

Whereas the present specification has been described in considerable detail with respect to several preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that this description is merely for purposes of illustration, and changes or variations in the described embodiments may be made by person skilled in the art without departing from the true scope and spirit of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a system for supporting a package of three airborne weapons mounted in a V-shaped section tandem configuration prior to and during attachment of the package to an aircraft, the combination comprising:

(a) first and second handling cradles each including a base portion having provisions for receiving a forklift and a pair of side wall portions extending outwardly at an angle from opposite edges of each said base portion, the cradles being arranged in tandem,

(b) two chock members connected to side wall portions of said first cradle for supporting two weapons of the package, I

(c) a support member having end portions abutting with side wall portions of said second cradle to suspend a middle portion of said supporting member between said side wall portions for supporting the third weapon of the package, and

(d) a forklift vehicle having a pair of forks spaced to simultaneously lift the two tandemly arranged cradles.

2. The combination defined in claim 1 wherein each of said chock members includes hook means connected to one of said side wall portions and further includes shoulder means spaced from said hook means and abutting with said one side wall portion, each of said chock members including a support portion connected between said hook means and said shoulder means for supporting a lower section of a weapon.

3. The combination defined in claim 2 wherein said support portion is elongated and has a generally curved cross section for receiving a similarly curved lower section of a weapon, and further characterized by cushioning means attached to said support portion for contact with the weapon.

r4. The combination defined in claim 1 wherein said support member is elongated and said middle portion has curved cross section configured to supportingly receive a similarly curved lower section of the third weapon,

said end portions being connected along said longitudinal edges of said support member and abutting said side wall portions of said second cradle to suspend said middle portion between said side wall portions.

5. The combination defined in claim 4 wherein said middle portion of said support member includes at least one channel along the longitudinal axis thereof to receive a projection from the third weapon.

6. In a system for supporting a package of three airborne weapons mounted in a Vshaped configuration prior to and during attachment of the package to an aircraft, the combination comprising:

(a) a nestable handling cradle formed of corrugated heet material including a base portion having provisions for receiving a part of a forklift and two side walls extending outwardly at an angle from opposite edges of said base portion, and

(b) at least one chock member having hook means releasably attached to a first portion of one of said side walls and further having shoulder means spaced from said hook means and abutting a second portion of said one side wall, said chock member including a support portion disposed between said hook means and said shoulder means for supporting a port of one of the weapons.

7. The combination defined in claim 6 wherein said chock member includes flexible means covering part of said support portion for cushioning the part of the weapon supported.

8. The combination defined in claim 6 wherein said chock member is elongated and includes a side portion rigidly connected along one edge to said support portion and connected to said shoulder means along another edge thereof, said side portion being disposed generally at an oblique angle to said support portion, and generally triangular end portions connected at opposite ends of said support portion and said side portion, said end portions having projections connected to said shoulder means to enhance the rigidity thereof and for abutting portions of said cradle to prevent longitudinal movement of said chock member.

9. The combination defined in claim 8 wherein said support portion has a generally curved cross section for supportingly receiving a similarly curved section of the weapon.

10. The combination defined in claim 9 wherein said hook means are rigidly connected to the opposite edge of said support portion from said side portion.

11. The combination defined in claim 6 wherein said chock member includes a generally flat rectangular support portion having said hook means connected to one longitudinal edge thereof and said shoulder means connected to the other longitudinal edge thereof.

12. The combination defined in claim 11 wherein said hook means and said shou'lder means are connected to said chock member at an angle to allow the stacking of a similarly constructed chock member to provide support for weapons of various sizes.

13. The combination defined in claim 12 wherein said support portion includes at least one transverse spacer for rigidly spacing said chock member during stacking with another chock member.

14. The combination defined in claim 13 wherein said shoulder means includes an outwardly extending, boxlike projection having ends abutting portions of said side walls of said cradle to prevent longitudinal relative movement between said chock member and said cradle, said projection being conformed to interfit with a similarly configured projection in another chock member during stacking while connected to said cradle.

15. In a system for supporting thin skinned weapons prior to attachment of the weapons to an aircraft, the combination comprising:

(a) a nestable handling cradle formed of corrugated sheet material including a base portion having provisions for reception of a forklift and two side walls extending outwardly at an angle from opposite edges of said base portion, and

(b) a support member having a middle portion connected between end portions, said end portions resting on said side walls of said cradle such that the support member bridges between said side walls to supportingly contact a weapon.

16. The combination of claim wherein said middle portion of said support member has a curved cross section adapted to supportingly receive a similarly curved section of a weapon.

17. The combination defined in claim 15 wherein said middle portion includes a flexible pad means connected to one side thereof in order to cushion the support of the weapon.

18. The combination defined in claim 15 wherein said middle portion is elongated and includes a channel defined along the longitudinal axis thereof for receiving an elongated projection from the weapon being supported.

19. The combination defined in claim 18 wherein said end portions of said support member define a pair of similarly shaped channels each adapted to selectively receive an elongated projection from the weapon being supported.

20. A chock member for adapting a handling cradle having a base and two transversely outwardly and upwardly sloping side walls to securely receive weapon packages of various sizes comprising:

a support portion adapted to be disposed in a position relative to the cradle to supportingly contact a part of the weapon package,

hook means rigidly connected to said support portion for disposition over the upper edge of one of said side walls to hold the chock member in place, and

shoulder means connected to said support portion and spaced from said hook means to abut against a portion of said one side wall.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein said chock member is elongated and includes a side portion rigidly connected along one edge to said support portion and connected to said shoulder means along another edge thereof, said side portion being disposed generally at an oblique angle to said support portion to enable nesting of said chock member with another similarly constructed chock member.

22. A chock member for adapting a handling cradle having a base and two transversely outwardly sloping side walls to securely receive Weapon packages of various sizes comprising:

a support portion adapted to be disposed relative to the cradle in a position to supportingly contact a part of the weapon package,

hook means rigidly connected to said support portion for attachment about an edge of one of said side walls,

shoulder means connected to said support portion and spaced from said hook means to abut against a portion of said one side wall,

said chock member being elongated and including a side portion rigidly connected along one edge to said support portion and connected to said shoulder means along another edge thereof, said side portion being disposed generally at an oblique angle to said support portion to enable nesting of said chock member with another similarly constructed chock member, and

generally triangular end portions for said chock member each connected to said side portion and said support portion, said end portions being outwardly sloped from said side and support portions to facilitate nesting of said chock member with another similarly constructed chock member.

23. The apparatus of claim 22 wherein said support portion has a generally curved cross section for supportingly receiving a similarly curved section of the weapon package.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 and further including flexible means covering part of said support portion for cushioning the part of the weapon package being supported.

25. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein said side portion has a cutout portion generally along the edge connected to said shoulder means, said shoulder means including a pair of flanges each connected to an end region of said side portion and spaced apart by said cutout portion.

26. The apparatus defined in claim 24 wherein said shoulder means extends outwardly at an angle from said side portion, and a projection of said end portions being connected to an end of said shoulder means for enhancing the rigidity thereof.

27. The apparatus defined in claim 20 wherein said chock member comprises a generally flat rectangular support portion having said hook means connected to one longitudinal edge thereof and said shoulder means connected to the other longitudinal edge thereof.

28. The apparatus defined in claim 27 wherein said hook means and said shoulder means are connected to said chock member by edge members extending outwardly at angles to allow the nesting of said chock member with another similarly constructed chock member.

29. A chock member for adapting a handling cradle having a base and two transversely outwardly sloping side walls to securely receive weapon packages of various sizes comprising:

a support portion adapted to be disposed relative to the cradle in a position to supportingly contact a part of the weapon package, hook means rigidly connected to said support portion for attachment about an edge of one of said side walls,

shoulder means connected to said support portion and spaced from said hook means to abut against a portion of said one side wall,

said chock member comprising a generally flat rectangular support portion having said hook means connected to one longitudinal edge thereof and said shoulder means connected to the other longitudinal edge thereof,

said hook means and said shoulder means being connected to said chock member by edge members extending outwardly at angles to allow the nesting of said chock member with another similarly constructed chock member, and

said support portions including at least one transverse spacer connected thereto for spacing said chock member during stacking with another chock member to provide stability during nesting.

30. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein said shoulder means includes an outwardly extending projection which interfits with a similarly constructed projection in another chock member to provide transverse and longitudinal stability during nesting.

31. The apparatus of claim 30 wherein said projection is box-like and comprises a back wall connected at one longitudinal edge to said shoulder means and extending outwardly at the same angle as said edge member, a base integrally extending from an opposite longitudinal edge of said back wall, and ends connected to said back wall and said base at an inward slope toward said base to facilitate nesting of said chock member with another similarly constructed chock member.

32. The apparatus of claim 30 wherein said support portion is connected to a flexible pad to provide cushioning support to a part of the weapon package.

33. A support member for adapting a handling cradle having a base and transversely outwardly sloping side walls to support an elongated generally cylindrical weapon comprising:

an elongated support portion having a curved cross section conforming to the curved section of the weapon, and

flange portions extending along both longitudinal edges of said support portion, the flange portion being disposed at the same angles as the outwardly sloping side walls and spaced to suspend said support portion between the side walls.

34. The apparatus defined in claim 33 wherein said support portion includes flexible pad means connected to one side thereof in order to cushion the support of the weapon.

35. A support member for adapting a handling cradle having a base and transversely outwardly sloping side walls to securely receive various types of weapons comprising:

an elongated support portion having a curved cross section adapted to supportingly receive a similarly curved section of a weapon,

flange portions connected along both longitudinal edges of said support portion and adapted to abut the side walls of the cradle to suspend said support portion between the side walls, and

said support portion including flexible pad means connected to one side thereof in order to cushion the support of the weapon and a channel defined along a longitudinal axis thereof for receiving an elongated projection from the weapon being supported.

36. The apparatus of claim 35 wherein said flange portions of said support mmeber define a pair of spaced apart similarly shaped channels each adapted to selectively receive an elongated projection from the weapon being supported.

37. The apparatus of claim 35 wherein said flange portions are disposed outwardly at an angle from said support to facilitate nesting of said support member with another similarly constructed support member.

38. In a system for loading weapons the combination of:

a weapons package comprised of a weapon support member and three weapons that are positioned by the support member in a triangular array,

a base member for supporting a first weapon of the weapons package,

a first side member mounted on the base member and having an inwardly and upwardly facing weapon engaging surface for supporting a second weapon of the weapons package,

a second side member mounted on the base member and having an inwardly and upwardly facing weapon engaging surface for supporting a third weapon of the weapons package, and

means for changing the effective distance between the weapon engaging surface of the first side member and the weapon engaging surface of the second side member and thereby positioning the weapon engaging surfaces of the first and second side members in engagement with the second and third weapons of the weapons package, respectively.

39. The system according to claim 38 wherein the distance changing means comprises a chock having a weapon engaging surface and means for mounting the chock on the first side member with the weapon engaging surface of the chock facing inwardly and upwardly with respect to the base.

40. The system according to claim 39 wherein the distance changing means further includes a second chock havnig a weapons engaging surface and means for mounting the second chock on the first chock with the weapon engaging surface of the second chock facing inwardly and upwardly with respect to the base.

41. The system according to claim 39 wherein the distance changing means further includes a second chock having a weapon engaging surface and means for mounting the second chock on the second side member with the weapon engaging surface of the second chock facing in wardly and upwardly with respect to the base.

42. A chock for adapting handling cradles of the type including a base and tWo upwardly and outwardly extending side walls to securely receive weapons packages of various sizes comprising:

a weapons engaging member having a length equal to a substantial portion of the length of the base of the cradle and having a concave cylindrical weapon engaging surface for supporting a cylindrical weapon, and

means for detachably mounting the weapons engaging member on a side wall of a cradle with the axis of the concave cylindrical surface of the member extending parallel to the base of the cradle.

43. The chock according to claim 42 wherein the concave weapon engaging surface of the weapons engaging member has a length substantially equal to the length of the side Wall of the cradle.

44. The chock according to claim 42 wherein the mounting means includes means for hooking the weapons engaging member to the side wall of a cradle.

45. The chock according to claim 44 further including means extending from the weapons engaging member into engagement with the side wall for cooperation with the hooking means to maintain the axis of the weapon engaging surface parallel to the base.

46. A chock for adapting handling cradles of the type including a base and two side members each having an inwardly and upwardly facing weapon engaging surface to securely receive triangularly shaped weapons packages of various sizes comprising:

a weapons engaging member having a length substantially equal to the length of the side members of the cradle and having a planar weapon engaging surface for supporting one weapon of a Weapons package, and 1 means for mounting the weapons engaging member in hooking interengagement with a side member of the cradle with the weapon engaging surface of the weaponsengaging member facing inwardly and upwardly with respect to the base of the cradle.

47. Th chock according to claim 46 wherein the mounting means further comprises means for mounting the chock in hooking interengagement with an identical chock with the weapon engaging surfaces of the checks extending parallel to each other.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,757,866 5/1930 Johnson 248-119 X 2,431,589 11/1947 Shuler 214-1 2,575,749 11/1951 Cross.

2,697,631 12/1954 Miller 280-179 X 2,972,459 2/ 1961 Kerley 248-20 3,071,269 1/1963 Moulds 108-55 X 3,387,813 6/1968 Carino 248-119 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,373,185 8/1964 France.

ROY D. FRAZIER, Primary Examiner US. 01. X.R.

10s s3, 55; 206-46; 214 1o.s; 24s 119, 346 

